- Healing Vibes go out to Sidney Crosby. Tough break, it was the perfect excuse for a team to lose. Hockey Gods evening the slate... good news for playoffs

- Iginla looks like a sure thing as new players go. With no practice and even playing the off wing for a shift or two, strong in everything I saw

- Vokoun made 3-4 stellar stops, not only for the win, but for the 3rd consecutive record setting team shutout (2 were all his, on shared with MAF) (Remember HCDB sticking w/ him when he STUNK earlier this year.... makes him look like a genius right now)

- PK deserve FULL MARKS for this win. So solid vs a top notch Powerplay! Coaching adjustments a huge factor.

- CEC fans also deserve full marks for their love of the successful PK. Talk about a defensive minded city!!!! Loud & Proud of it.

- 2 weeks ago, if you were told that Sid, MAF, Martin, Letang, & Kunitz 1/2, would miss a game and lose, most would believe/agree

The players got an extra jump after Kunitz was tossed. Agree or disagreement that should have even been a penalty no one can agree that it deserved a major. NHL better rescind the game misconduct as its clear Bailey initiated the contact. If Bailey doesn't try to pick Kunitz then he doesn't get hit. That was just as much interference on him than checking from behind on Kunitz.

DelPen wrote:The players got an extra jump after Kunitz was tossed. Agree or disagreement that should have even been a penalty no one can agree that it deserved a major. NHL better rescind the game misconduct as its clear Bailey initiated the contact. If Bailey doesn't try to pick Kunitz then he doesn't get hit. That was just as much interference on him than checking from behind on Kunitz.

- I can see the penalty there. Dangerous hit with speed near the boards. However, I can't see supplementary discipline, but Shanny has all the angles, so ????

Kunitz barely touched Bailey. Interference, maybe, the puck was there in play. If you don't want to get hit don't get into the corner with Chris Kunitz. Simple as that. Checking from behind? No. Game misconduct? Definitely not. Just because the dude isn't strong enough to withstand minor body contact from Kunitz doesn't make it a dirty hit

-This one went from the most fun game of the year to watch...to a after Sid's face-meet-puck...to almost turning it off after Koon got tossed...to openly cheering out loud in my living room for the PK effort...to sitting back and realizing that this may be, even with all of the new additions, the closest-knit and hungriest Pens team I've ever seen. Just incredible effort and resolve.

-Matt Cooke earned his entire 2013 paycheck yesterday. If that Matt Cooke shows up in the playoffs (I keep forgetting that he wasn't there last year), our bottom six will be a nightmare to play against.

-Vokoun was stellar...and when he was a bit shaky with rebounds, the D and forwards were clearing/stick-checking around him. The flip in philosophy around our net has been remarkable.

-Iggy looked lost to start the game, but settled in nicely as he got a chance to talk to Geno and Neal. That line could be in a couple short weeks.

-HCDB deserves some credit for managing the game as well as he did. I was cursing him for not dressing Vitale, but he handled the 2-center model as well as could be expected in-game.

It also occurred to me last night that this is exactly the type of game that you want new-comers to your line-up to witness early in their Pen's career. At home, crowd going nuts, incredible effort in the face of seemingly everything going wrong, and you still grit out a W. If they weren't 'Pittsburgh Penguins' at 12:59 yesterday, they are now.

I'm not sure I see the difference between a hit and "body on body contact."

I think it's a penalty. It basically is a hit from behind and it could be called interference as much as anything. He came in at enough of an angle and it was far enough from the boards that I think a major, game misconduct, and any additional discipline is overboard. At real speed I guess I could see how a ref would be inclined to go with the major especially since the player didn't get up right away, which he all know affects these things. No suspension. If it were closer to the boards and/or the force of the hit was completely from behind then I'd agree on a major plus suspension.

Henry Hank wrote:I'm not sure I see the difference between a hit and "body on body contact."

I think it's a penalty. It basically is a hit from behind and it could be called interference as much as anything. He came in at enough of an angle and it was far enough from the boards that I think a major, game misconduct, and any additional discipline is overboard. At real speed I guess I could see how a ref would be inclined to go with the major especially since the player didn't get up right away, which he all know affects these things. No suspension. If it were closer to the boards and/or the force of the hit was completely from behind then I'd agree on a major plus suspension.

This. The biggest factor that led to the injury was the speed of the players, not the proximity to the boards or the angle of the hit. Bailey actually leans his left shoulder in front of Koon to reach for the puck right before he gets hit. It was as 'bang-bang' as you can get.

I expect a suspension, though. 2 games. Shanny likes to look at the results of the hit (which were horrible)...and Kunitz isn't a Hab. Ultimately, though, Koon could've held up...and that seems to be what Shanny focuses on in his little videos.

pens2005 wrote:As much as I loved Morrow with Neal and Malkin, Iginla Neal Malkin was that much better.

I actually think Brenden Morrow has been everything and more for this team. He's exactly what I had expected.

I think he will kinda get lost in the discussion because of the Jarome Iginla trade, but Morrow is gritty as hell and I love it.

1. Morrow plays a simple game. It's so refreshing. He plants himself in front of the net and does battle. It creates havoc for the defense and tons of space for the offense. That ability should be best utilized playing with guys who can create offense.

2. I hate all these guys playing on their off-wing. Neal made the switch to be the shooter on his line, and because Kuntiz playing on the left side could do the dirty board work. But putting Iginla on the left means we've got 3 shooters on a line, with no one in a good position to retrieve pucks. Putting Cooke on the 3rd line RW makes him less effective along the boards as well.

3. I'd rather see Iginla in his natural position, either playing on the 3rd line (Morrow-Malkin-Neal / Cooke-Sutter-Iginla) where he can create offense against bad matchups. Or if he's gotta be in the top 6, switch Neal back to LW, and play Iggy on the right. Then callup Bennett and have him play 3rd line RW with Morrow-Sutter. Cooke-Vitale/Jeffrey/Kennedy-Adams is a great 4th line.

4. I assume if Crosby is out on Tuesday, Jeffrey will fill in with Kunitz-Dupuis. What a strange, but welcome role to have on this team: the ability to fill in anywhere (including the best players in the world) and not drag the team down.

When I hear check from behind, I can picture several very memorable instances where a player just drove their full body-weight into the spine of an opposing player.

When I hear hit, I think of shoulder on shoulder, hip-check, etc.

What Kunitz did was barely shove and take the body on Bailey at a weird angle. I definitely don't see it as a check from behind. He was playing the body on Bailey to get the puck down deep. Bailey obviously lost an edge and crashed into the boards. Like I said, interference yeah I see it, but it didn't deserve a major.

malkinshair wrote:-Matt Cooke earned his entire 2013 paycheck yesterday. If that Matt Cooke shows up in the playoffs (I keep forgetting that he wasn't there last year), our bottom six will be a nightmare to play against.

yes he was. 4 points in 6 games..normally that'd sound pretty good for Matt Cooke..but for that silly series hed need twice that to have made an impact

Gaucho wrote:It wasn't vicious or anything, but it was a check from behind.

*shrug*

There's some debate but does anyone agree it deserved a major?

I don't have much of an issue with it. As I said, nothing dirty or vicious about the hit, but since the refs don't have the luxury of slow mos I'm ok with their on-ice decision. I don't think a suspension is warranted, though.

Best news Sid could have gotten was that his team went about its business of earning 2 more points. TV; if that is an allowed name; love it! Vokoun has elongated himself in the net. shooters frustrated.Matty Cooke; whirling / twirling efforts. Adams and Dupuis efforts on PK cannot be overlooked.The defense will hold, maybe bend, but will hold. Until Letang returns and until P Martin is back.Brooks Orpik; shot to Sidney an accident. Usually his 3d / 4th eye picks up flight of the puck. Next game for Oprik; most games as a penguin D! A proud achievement !

About the isles, good team with Nabakov leading.

“I'm sitting here looking across the room and thinking, ‘Man, that's Jarome Iginla!'” defenseman Matt Niskanen recalled. “I mean, when you're on a team with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, you might not think that would happen. But that's Jarome Iginla.”

Gaucho wrote:It wasn't vicious or anything, but it was a check from behind.

*shrug*

They both go to hit each other shoulder to shoulder, but Baily leans forward a little so gets hit SLIGHTLY on the back side of his shoulder. Very similar to defenders that go chip the puck and twist their back to a forechecker. It happens so fast there is really no way for Kunitz to react - he clearly is bracing himself for the oncoming hit. Baily can't just wussy out there or he gets hurt, which he did.